My journey of faith began at age five in Linz, Austria, when my mother became a Christian and we started attending a Mennonite Brethren Church. Even at that young age, I fell in love with Scripture and promised God I would become a missionary. Though I rebelled a bit during my teenage years, God got ahold of my heart at age 17, leading me to rededicate my life to Him and reclaim my missionary calling.

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Preparation followed with three years of Bible school in Germany and three years as an assistant pastor. Eventually, my wife, Erna, and I joined Wycliffe Bible Translators. To help me learn English, we spent two years at King Road Church in Erna's hometown of Abbotsford before deploying to the Philippines.

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Our four years in the Philippines were followed by a long-term assignment back in Austria, where we established and led Wycliffe Austria. I later transitioned to overseeing Wycliffe’s work across six Eastern European countries.

 

Today, Erna and I have three children and eight grandchildren scattered across Austria, Ireland, and Lacombe, Alberta, where we initially chose to retire. However, retirement didn't mean the end of our ministry; after seven years, we happily accepted a call to return to Abbotsford and serve the German congregation at King Road Church.